How severe is CVE-2008-4253?

CVE-2008-4253 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 8.5, rated high severity.

Is CVE-2008-4253 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 21% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2008-4253?

CVE-2008-4253 primarily affects Microsoft Office Frontpage. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2008-4253?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2008-4253 published?

CVE-2008-4253 was published on 2008-12-10 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2008-4253

CVE-2008-4253 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Office Frontpage with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 8.5. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 21% places it in the 97th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-399.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 2.0 base score 8.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 21% (97th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-399
Affected product: Microsoft Office Frontpage
Published: 2008-12-10
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

The FlexGrid ActiveX control in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Visual FoxPro 8.0 SP1 and 9.0 SP1 and SP2, Office FrontPage 2002 SP3, and Office Project 2003 SP3 does not properly handle errors during access to incorrectly initialized objects, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML document, related to corruption of the "system state," aka "FlexGrid Control Memory Corruption Vulnerability."

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2008-4253?: The FlexGrid ActiveX control in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Visual FoxPro 8.0 SP1 and 9.0 SP1 and SP2, Office FrontPage 2002 SP3, and Office Project 2003 SP3 does not properly handle errors during access to incorrectly initialized objects, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML document, related to corruption of the "system state," aka "FlexGrid Control Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
How severe is CVE-2008-4253?: CVE-2008-4253 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 8.5, rated high severity.
Is CVE-2008-4253 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 21% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2008-4253?: CVE-2008-4253 primarily affects Microsoft Office Frontpage. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2008-4253?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2008-4253 published?: CVE-2008-4253 was published on 2008-12-10 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (10)

cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office_frontpage:2002:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:project:2003:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:project:2007:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:project:2007:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_basic:6.0:*:runtime_extended_files:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_foxpro:8.0:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_foxpro:9.0:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_foxpro:9.0:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_studio_.net:2002:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_studio_.net:2003:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Frontpage

CVE-2008-4255 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Heap-based buffer overflow in mscomct2.ocx (aka Windows Common ActiveX control or Microsoft Animation ActiveX control)…
CVE-2008-4256 — High (CVSS 8.5): The Charts ActiveX control in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Visual Studio .NET 2002 SP1 and 2003 SP1, and Visual FoxPro…
CVE-2008-4254 — High (CVSS 8.5): Multiple integer overflows in the Hierarchical FlexGrid ActiveX control (mshflxgd.ocx) in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0…
CVE-2008-4252 — High (CVSS 8.5): The DataGrid ActiveX control in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 and Visual FoxPro 8.0 SP1 and 9.0 SP1 and SP2 does not…

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Other CWE-399 (Resource Management Errors) vulnerabilities

CVE-2015-8104 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel through 4.2.6, and Xen 4.3.x through 4.6.x, allows guest OS users to cause a…
CVE-2015-0339 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
CVE-2015-0335 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
CVE-2015-0333 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
CVE-2014-4121 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4, 4.5, 4.5.1, and 4.5.2 does not properly parse internationalized…
CVE-2014-0560 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.12 and 11.x before 11.0.09 on Windows and OS…

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